Section 8 HCV Waiting List Status:

The Section 8 and Public Housing programs administered by this housing authority are often over subscribed requiring the use of a waiting list. The waiting list would typically only open for brief periods. To find out of the waiting list is open or when it may open, please contact the housing authority directly.

Did you know that you can apply for Section 8 anywhere in the country? If your local Section 8 waiting list is
closed, you can apply to programs elsewhere. See all open waiting lists across the country on
our Waiting Lists page.

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According to HUD, Bethlehem Housing Authority is determined to be a Large public housing authority, meaning it manages between 1,250 - 9,999 public housing units. Also according to the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the housing authority is designated as Medium Low, meaning it administers 250 - 499 Section 8 vouchers.

Comparing the housing assistance distribution of Bethlehem Housing Authority between Public Housing Units (75%) and Section 8 Housing Vouchers (25%) to that of all housing authorities in Pennsylvania, Bethlehem Housing Authority has a larger proportion of public housing units than the average housing authority. The housing authority’s proportion of Section 8 vouchers under management is larger than the average housing authority in Pennsylvania.

Source United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (hud.gov, 2014)

Public housing authorities provide several affordable housing assistance programs to renters and sometimes homeowners. Most of these programs are funded by the Federal government through the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

The two primary housing programs administered by housing authorities are the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program and the Low Rent Housing Program, also known as Public Housing.

Section 8 vouchers provide a rental subsidy to renters that absorbs housing costs that exceed 30% of their income. Renters can use the voucher to rent private housing in apartment communities or privately owned homes. The rent is capped based on a Payment Standard that is determined by the housing authority based on market rents in the target area. Section 8 assistance is very limited across the country and typically waiting lists for the assistance can stretch out for a decade.

Public housing is rental housing owned and managed by housing authorities. Renters pay only 30% of their adjusted income. Typically, public housing consists of apartment developments but sometimes can be scattered single family homes in some suburban or rural housing authorities. Public housing was the first form of affordable housing provided to low income Americans. It is one of the oldest housing assistance programs in the country.

Each year HUD reviews and scores the housing authority’s Section 8 program management
based on 14 different criteria. This score is a reflection of how well the housing
authority manages the Section 8 waiting list, the physical quality of housing
assisted with Section 8 and the financial management of the program.

From 2001 to 2009, Bethlehem Housing Authority
scored an average of 95 points as of the last set of publicly available data. The housing authority had a high score of
100 in 2002
and a low score of 72 in 2001.
The average SEMAP Score for Housing Authorities in Pennsylvania is 79.00.

Bethlehem Housing Authority has an average score that is
more than the average Pennsylvania housing authority. Higher SEMAP scores indicate more effective financial management, a smoother waiting list process and higher quality physical conditions at assisted properties.

HUD reviews and scores each public housing agency’s administration of the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program through the Section Eight Management Assessment Program (SEMAP). The intent of the review and scoring system is to insure that public funds are administered in the most efficient manner while achieving the goal of adequately housing lower income persons.

The total number of points a PHA can receive under the SEMAP scoring model is 135 points. Any housing authority receiving a score more than 121 points is considered a High Performer. PHA’s receiving 81 to 120 points are rated as Standard Performers. Any housing authority that receives a score of 80 or less is considered Troubled and must go through a troubled agency review and cure process.

The assessment system reviews the PHA’s management performance on 14 different criteria. These criteria are:

1. Waiting List Management (15 points) - maximum points are awarded to housing authorities that have a written waiting list policy and do quality control sampling that demonstrates that at least 98% of all voucher recipients were chosen from the waiting list.

2. Rent Reasonableness (20 points) - points are awarded to PHA’s who have a written process for determining that rent paid to landlords under the Section 8 program are reasonable as compared to other comparable housing in the market area. Maximum points are awarded where a file review demonstrates the housing authority followed its written rent reasonableness policy.

3. Determining Adjusted Income (20 points) - points are awarded when a file review demonstrates that tenants receiving assistance had their income properly verified through a third party, accurately accounted for allowances and expenses and used the correct utility allowance in determining the tenant’s gross rent payment.

4. Utility Allowance Schedule (5 points) - maximum points are awarded where the PHA has a utility rate schedule that has been updated within the last 12 months if utility costs have fluctuated by 10% or more.

6. HQS Enforcement (10 points) - points are awarded where all case file sampling demonstrated that any life threatening HQS issues were corrected within 24 hours, all other deficiencies were corrected within 30 days and in cases where these corrections were not made, rent subsidy payments were stopped prior to the first of the following month.

7. Expanding Housing Opportunities (5 points) - available only to housing authorities in metropolitan areas, points are awarded to PHA’s who have written policies for and strongly encourage participation of owners outside of areas of concentration of poverty and minority concentration. PHA’s must also explain voucher portability to renters and provide a list of neighboring housing authorities where the vouchers may be ported to.

8. Payment Standards (5 points) - points are awarded to PHA’s where a Payment Standard has been developed for each unit size in each FMR area in the housing authority's target area and those Payment Standards are not more than 110% of the FMR nor less than 90% of the FMR for that area.

9. Annual Reexaminations (10 points) - points are awarded to housing authorities who complete a reexamination of each voucher holder every 12 months.

11. Pre-Contract HQS (5 points) - points are awarded where each new rental unit was inspected and passed a HQS inspection.

12. Annual HQS Inspections - the housing authority inspects each unit receiving funds under the program at least once per year.

13. Lease Up (20 points) - points are awarded to housing authorities that execute assistance contracts for the number of units that has been under budget for at least a year.

14. Family Self Sufficiency Enrollment (10 points) - applicable only to housing authorities required to implement the Family Self Sufficiency (FSS) Program, points are awarded based on the success of FSS enrollment.

Every public housing project is inspected every one to three years by HUD.

Bethlehem Housing Authority manages 6 rental properties which, as of the last set of publicly available data, have an average
inspection score of 68. The scores for properties managed by
Bethlehem Housing Authority range from a high of 98 to a low of 0.

The highest scoring property in the Bethlehem Housing Authority portfolio is
Lynfield Homes III and the lowest scoring property is Bayard Homes.

To be a passing score a public
housing property must have a score of 60 or more. 67%
of properties managed by Bethlehem Housing Authority have a passing score.

Source United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (data.gov, 2014)

All public housing projects and privately owned rental properties with project-based Section 8 contracts are inspected every 1 to 3 years by HUD’s Real Estate Assessment Center (REAC). The mission of REAC is to insure that HUD’s multifamily portfolio is well maintained, free of health and safety risks for tenants and to prevent waste, fraud and abuse in HUD’s multifamily programs.

The highest REAC score possible is 100 points. Points are awarded in five inspectable areas: site, building exteriors, common areas, systems and units. Points may be weighted differently for different property types. For example, an urban property with little to no grounds might have a score weighted more on the building exteriors and less on the site whereas a suburban property with acres of land will be weighted more on the site review.

The frequency of REAC inspections is determined by the last REAC score a property received. If a property receives a REAC score of 90 or higher, the next REAC inspection will be scheduled in 3 years. Scores of 80 to 89 require re-inspection in 2 years and scores of 60 to 79 require re-inspection in a year.

A score of less than 60 is considered failing. Scores of 31 to 59 require re-inspection in 60 days and scores of 30 or lower are referred to a HUD Enforcement Center for corrective action.

Score are often followed by a letter or asterisk. A score followed by the letter “a” signifies that no health and safety concerns were noted. A score followed by the letter “b” denote non life threatening health and safety issues were discovered in the inspection. Scores followed by the letter “c” had at least one life threatening health and safety issue. If the score is followed by an asterisk (*) this means that there was at least one non-functioning smoke detector discovered in the inspection.

The REAC score of a property is a good reflection of the overall quality of the property and the experience residents will have. Prospective renters should use the REAC score as an overall reading of how the property is maintained and the quality of management. Properties with lower scores should be avoided.

Tenants in public housing pay rent based on their income. Generally, the Total Tenant Payment (TTP) is 30% of the tenant’s adjusted income.
Bethlehem Housing Authority owns and manages 1453 public housing units in 7 properties.

The Average Total Tenant Payment for Bethlehem Housing Authority is $330.00 compared to the state
average of $294.00.

The Average Total Tenant Payment for the state of Pennsylvania ranges from a low of $223.00 to a high of $385.00.

The Total Tenant Payment is the amount of rent a tenant in public housing pays. Since public
housing rents are based on income, each tenant pays a fluctuating amount, even for the same
size unit in the same apartment community. One tenant in a one bedroom apartment could
be paying $54 a month for rent and a neighbor down the hall is paying $550 per month for the
exact same unit type. It all depends on the personal income of each renter.

In public housing, there is a minimum rent requirement of at least $25 and can be set by the
housing authority up to $50.

The TTP is calculated by taking the greater of:

30% of the resident’s monthly adjusted income or;

10% of the resident’s monthly gross income or;

the welfare rent or;

the minimum rent.

For example, a tenant whose adjusted monthly income is $890 will pay $267 for rent ($890 *
30%) where a resident earning only $490 per month would pay $147 per month ($490 * 30%).

Adjusted income is determined by subtracting from all verified income of all household members
over 18 the following expense allowances:

$480 for each dependent;

$400 for any elderly/disabled family members;

medical deductions for certain family types.

If a tenant has two children and an elderly parent living with them, th income adjustment would
be $1,360 per month (2 * $480 + $400).

Housing Authority Annual and 5 Year Plans

Public housing agencies, also called public housing authorities, which receive funding from HUD,
are required to submit and receive approval from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development of
both an Annual Plan and a 5 Year Plan. These plans establish each housing authority’s policies,
strategies, programs and operations for meeting the housing needs of persons within their target area.

The housing authority plans include specific details about the cost of renovations to real
estate (also known as capital improvements), changes to Section 8 HCV policies, planned redevelopment of
public housing projects and other major administrative changes.

Following are the HUD-approved public housing agency plans for Bethlehem Housing Authority.